Cycling in Canada

[MolsonExport]

thanks for the advice, guys!

I am going to try to make my current heavy trek hybrid last through to the fall, and get a new one early next year when the stock starts coming in.

[Nashe]

After poring over prices and specs for a month, finally pulled the trigger on this today at lunch:

2019 demo model, but at a great price and ticks all the boxes for me.

[Airboy]

looks like you can put wider tires on. Schwabe tires also make a studded set for that bike.

I am using cameras on my bike as well. sometimes you might need evidence of stupid.

The Fly6 and 12 from Cyclic.

Good riding and have fun.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Airboy

looks like you can put wider tires on. Schwabe tires also make a studded set for that bike.

Yup. 40's on there now, but can go to 45 I think, at that diameter.

I am using cameras on my bike as well. sometimes you might need evidence of stupid.
The Fly6 and 12 from Cyclic.
Good riding and have fun.

Thanks for the tip.
This is a major upgrade for me going from a mid-1990's MTB. Even at the lowest "drop/aero" position, I'm no lower than my old MTB. Those bikes were weird.

[jamincan]

New bike day is always a great day! Any ambitions with the new bike?

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

Even at the lowest "drop/aero" position, I'm no lower than my old MTB. Those bikes were weird.

Drop that stem and you will be!

[jamincan]

One of the things I love about KW is that it has a lot of great gravel roads that are quickly accessible on the bike. The Grand River actually has a lot of old bridges that are now closed to car traffic that kind of feel like this secret that only cyclists and fishermen know about. This is on the Peel Street bridge early this past Saturday looking west over the Grand - one of my favourite spots in the region.



The rail trail crossing of the Grand River in Brantford (also early in the morning!)

[Airboy]

Edmonton is a great riding city. easy access to country paved roads. Long gravel rides or in city mountain rides. When I get the new 29r I will have to go see if I can get some PBs on sections that killed me.

New MTB will be here for the spring. can use my old one through the winter.

Heading to Banff on Sunday and ride the closed 1A. then to Radium for a few days of Road and Gravel, then back to Alberta for some gravel riding in the Rocky Mountain house area.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by jamincan

New bike day is always a great day! Any ambitions with the new bike?

My first in 25 years so, yes, a great day!
Initially building up to a Gran Fondo achievement w. friends in Strava. (100km ride) There are a half-dozen of us and now we finally all have the hardware to put in longer rides without anyone being left behind.

Drop that stem and you will be!

It crossed my mind! I can go a lot lower and still be pretty comfortable, especially in climbs.

[Airboy]

Always suggest getting a proper fitting. helps a lot. I am not as flexible as I used to be so my arrow position is not so much arrow but more door. Good on you for getting up to the Fondo number. Have only hit 100 once this year most rides are 70. But Covid put a damper on motivation. Last year I was at about 3000km this time. This year I just hit 1100.
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MTB Trails in YEG

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[jamincan]

I went out on another fantastic ride today in Centre Wellington (Elora/Fergus area, north of Guelph) this morning.
I left early to get the sun rising over the Grand River from the trestle bridge between Elora and Fergus.


I then followed the Elora-Cataract trail. It's a nicely forested rail trail that's not so straight to be boring.


There are a number of small sideroad crossings of the Grand River upstream of Belwood Lake. I find the 13th Line crossing to be particularly charming.


The rail trail is pretty flat, but the gravel roads in the area offer beautiful rolling hills with nice views of the surrounding landscape.


My ride finished in Elora. The downtown area is pretty much completely shutdown to cars due in part to Covid, but also due to bridge rehabilitation. The experience of pedestrians and cyclists having complete free reign was fantastic. I hope they'll consider keeping some of the street closure's permanent after the bridge construction is complete.

There are a number of towns along the Grand River watershed that don't really fit with what you'd typically consider S. Ontario vernacular architecture. Guelph, Hespeler and Galt (Cambridge), Paris, and, of course, Elora and Fergus, all spring to mind. The housing stock still tends to be unmistakeably S. Ontario, but the downtowns are quite different with limestone buildings being predominate. I'm sure others are more versed in the history, but it's my understanding that it is partly influenced by the limestone quarries in the region, and also the Scottish influence being particularly great in those towns.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Airboy

Whoa...you have hills there? This one's awesome. Though I'd prefer it if it were paved, myself.

[Airboy]

So got some rides in the last 2 weeks.

Bow Valley Parkway, mostly closed to traffic.2 rides in. Lake Louise to 93 junction. Apparently it was snowing in Banff at the time. Then a week later it was 24 when I did it again.
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Other ride was the west side legacy trail. A hard 25km ride one way, both ways is tough. Quite a few 14 -19% grades.
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Last 2 rides in Edmonton's river valley. a couple of climbs were 19 -20%. I think we hit 6 of the toughest 10 climbs in the city.
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[jamincan]

Went on a beautiful ride this morning. (Album)

I started in Galt (Cambridge) and headed south to Paris on the Cambridge-Paris rail trail. This is a beautiful, canopied trail that follows the Grand River. I then headed up to Ayr on a mix of township roads and old abandoned roads where I enjoyed a Portuguese donut from Lucio's Bakery (excellent). I then headed back to Cambridge on rolling hills, finishing off on West River Road, which was the perfect culmination to the ride looking over the Grand River from high on its west bank. I may have to come back in a week or two to do this ride again with the fall colours further along.

[rousseau]

I've really got a thing for paved bike lanes made out to look like mini highways for bikes. Very much love these pics from Airboy's post above:

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[MolsonExport]

Awesome! Where are those shots from?

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by jamincan

Went on a beautiful ride this morning. (Album)

I started in Galt (Cambridge) and headed south to Paris on the Cambridge-Paris rail trail. This is a beautiful, canopied trail that follows the Grand River. I then headed up to Ayr on a mix of township roads and old abandoned roads where I enjoyed a Portuguese donut from Lucio's Bakery (excellent). I then headed back to Cambridge on rolling hills, finishing off on West River Road, which was the perfect culmination to the ride looking over the Grand River from high on its west bank. I may have to come back in a week or two to do this ride again with the fall colours further along.

Lovely, stirring shots. Is the stone on the Cambridge-Paris Rail Trail fine? Is it essentially the same as the stone on the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail, if you've been on that one?

I ask because taking your road bike on the H-B trail leaving from Ancaster is perfectly fine, it's either fine stone or hard earth. But sometimes these trails are more gravelly than you'd want if you're on a road bike.

Got a Strava record for your ride, if you don't mind me asking?

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Awesome! Where are those shots from?

Should clarify that I quoted those pics from Airboy's post above, so they're from in or around Edmonton.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by rousseau

Lovely, stirring shots. Is the stone on the Cambridge-Paris Rail Trail fine? Is it essentially the same as the stone on the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail, if you've been on that one?

I ask because taking your road bike on the H-B trail leaving from Ancaster is perfectly fine, it's either fine stone or hard earth. But sometimes these trails are more gravelly than you'd want if you're on a road bike.

Got a Strava record for your ride, if you don't mind me asking?

The rail trail *should* be fine on a road bike, I think, especially if you're running 28s or larger. I am familiar with the Hamilton-Brantford trail and it's really not any worse.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by jamincan

The rail trail *should* be fine on a road bike, I think, especially if you're running 28s or larger. I am familiar with the Hamilton-Brantford trail and it's really not any worse.

I know that lately the trend has been toward 25 and 28 mm wide tires on road bikes, but I'm using 23s. They're fine on the Hamilton-Brantford trail, though I'll admit that it's always a relief to get back onto the asphalt once I make it to somewhere like Jerseyville.

[jamincan]

Originally Posted by rousseau

I know that lately the trend has been toward 25 and 28 mm wide tires on road bikes, but I'm using 23s. They're fine on the Hamilton-Brantford trail, though I'll admit that it's always a relief to get back onto the asphalt once I make it to somewhere like Jerseyville.

Can you fit larger? The idea that narrow tires with higher pressure are faster has been largely debunked (unless you're on a track), and the lower pressure you can run with wider tires would make a huge difference when it comes to comfort.

The one thing to note with the Cambridge-Paris trail is that once you pass Footbridge Rd going south, I don't believe there are any easy ways to escape onto another road until you hit Paris. It's part of what makes it so nice, but it also means you are a bit committed once you get started on it.